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From: mikes@tekecs.UUCP (Michael Sellers)
Newsgroups: mod.religion.christian
Subject: Baptism for the dead
Message-ID: <6230@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Date: Wed, 15-Oct-86 02:38:43 EDT
Article-I.D.: topaz.6230
Posted: Wed Oct 15 02:38:43 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Oct-86 07:41:42 EDT
Sender: hedrick@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU
Organization: Tektronix, Inc.
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Approved: christian@topaz.UUCP

Okay, maybe this will spark some discussion:

  To my knowledge, the only church or branch of Christianity that doesn't
ignore the practice of baptism for the dead is the LDS church.  This practice
is mentioned in 1 Cor. 15:29 ("Now if there is no ressurrection, what will 
those do who are baptized for the dead?  If the dead are not raised at all,
why are people baptized for them?" NIV).  What I would like to know is, what
do other Christians think about this verse and this practice?  Why isn't it
more widely acknowledged?  My intention here IS NOT to start any sort of a 
holy war, just to elicit opinions from various quarters.  With regard to the
specific verse, I might add that it does not seem to be a mistranslation (it
reads virtually identically in Greek as it does in the NIV), nor is Paul using
it as an example without accepting the practice as valid.  It is clear from
the discussion as a whole that he is using this practice to bolster is point,
hardly something he would do if he disapproved of it.  I realize that many
Christians feel that specific religious practices are peripheral to the core
of the religion, but there are others who feel the various rites are more
than empty form and attempt to follow what they think the Bible is telling
them is right to do.  It is from these latter type folks I would be most
interested in hearing.

		Mike Sellers
		...tektronix!tekecs!mikes